1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stand-alone or network-connected printing system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a printing system that can identify the printing cost in advance.
2. Description of the Related Art
The art of interest to the present invention for counting the number of copies to calculate the copying expense is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-52626 and Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 56-27162. The technique of detecting termination of a copy operation to calculate and display the copy rate from the "number of copies.times.unit cost" is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laying-Open No. 4-11547.
There are times when the expense of a desired copy job is to be identified before actually carrying out a copy operation. The copy rate is calculated as "number of copies.times.unit cost". This "unit cost" depends on various conditions such as the size of the recording sheet and full color/two-color/black-and-white mode. The size of a recording sheet is determined according to the size of the original document and the magnification rate. Since the calculation of the total fee of copies taken in various modes from various documents is complicated, it is difficult to confirm in advance whether the copy fee is within an intended amount of cost or not. It is desired to easily identify in advance the cost of a specific copy job.
It is also desirable to be able to alter the mode (for example, alter the copy mode from full color mode to black-and-white mode, or alter the magnification rate to reduce the size of the recording sheet) when identification is made that the intended account is exceeded after setting a copy job. Accordingly, an intended amount of cost can be satisfied.
In accordance with the spread of personal computer communication and image softwares, the user of a personal computer can provide a display of various types of images easily on the screen of his/her own display device at home. It is easy to print out such images on a recording sheet by virtue of improvement in the printer's performance and reduction in cost.
However, a printer of high performance that provides a printout on a large-sized sheet with the picture quality of a color image approximating that of a silver halide photograph is yet too expensive for a general user to own.
A printing system is proposed that allows printout of a high quality even for users that do not posses their own exclusive color printer of high performance. In this printing system, the personal computer of a user is connected to a color printer of high performance via a communication line. Each user shares the usage of the connected color printer.
FIG. 43 is a schematic block diagram of a conventional printing system 800.
Referring to FIG. 43, a printing system 800 includes personal computers 802a-802c of respective users, a color printer 804 of high performance, a printer controller 805 for providing control of color printer 804, a display 803 associated with printer controller 805, and a communication line 806. Each of personal computers 802a-802c is installed at the home of respective users. Color printer 804 and printer controller 805 are installed at an appropriate site, such as in a convenience store.
When a user wants to obtain a printout, the user enters an image file DFa into a personal computer 802a, for example, and also a print reservation instruction and user name at the same time.
In response, personal computer 802a assigns an image file number 903a for the input image file DFa, and transmits the same together with the user name as a header file 902a to printer controller 805 and color printer 804. Therefore, header files 902a-902c transmitted from various users are accumulated in printer controller 805 and color printer 804. At this time point, image file DFa is not yet transmitted.
The user then goes to the convenience store where printer controller 805 and color printer 804 are installed to instruct execution of a printout operation. On the screen of display 803 of printer controller 805, a plurality of image file numbers 903a-903c and associated user names sent from respective users are provided.
The user searches for his/her own user name and image file number 903a to enter a print execution instruction with respect to the appropriate image file number 903a. In response, image file DFa is transmitted from personal computer 802a to color printer 804 to be stored in a memory 807 of printer 804. The user sets the appropriate printing conditions such as the sheet size, resolution of picture quality, the number of copies, and the like for color printer 804. The cost required for the printing operation is determined, and then a printing operation is executed.
In the above-described conventional printing system 800, the user had to take the trouble of going to the installed site of color printer 804 and then set the printout conditions for color printer 804. The user can identify the expense corresponding to a printout execution only after setting various printing out conditions for color printer 804.
In other words, some time is required before the user obtains a printout of a desired image after going to the installation site of color printer 804. Furthermore, the user cannot identify the expense information required for printout before coming to the installed site of color printer 804.